Janet Daby MP: speeches

Speeches

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Torbay (Steve Darling). I appreciate the Liberal Democrats’ support for lifting the two-child limit. I cannot express enough how delighted I am to speak in this debate, as these changes will make a real tangible difference to the lives of children and families across our country. The cost of living, standards of living and striving to live above the poverty line are a concern, and such a struggle for so many people and families. I campaigned to lift the two-child limit prior to being a Member, and I have done so since becoming a Member. I hear of families with a roof over their head, but no carpet under their feet; a window to look out of, but no thick curtains to keep out the draft. It is miserable when you are cold, poor and uncomfortable, and anything and everything the Government do to make life easier for communities is the right thing to do. I recently spoke to a headteacher at a local school in my constituency that serves one of the most deprived areas. I found out that teachers are using their own money to buy children essential items, such as sanitary products, underwear and tights. Of course, they need to do that because the children need them. We on the Labour Benches are right: we are compassionate about children, compared with Members opposite. I love and applaud the teachers and the school for their kindness and for the discreet way in which they help children. I applaud all schools that do this for children, but children should not be in that situation in the first place. In Lewisham, we have a shop called the Bank of Things, where secondary school children can receive free essential items such as toiletry products, pens, paper and even school uniform. At the heart of this issue, I know parents wish to provide for children, but some just do not have the means to do so. In fact, in my constituency, 65% of children living in poverty have at least one parent in work, so this is absolutely not about parents who do not want to work. It is why the broader child poverty strategy is so vital. Increases to the national living wage, strengthening workers’ rights through the Employment Rights Act 2025, expanded free childcare for working parents, reducing the cost of school uniforms, and building more council homes—these measures and more work together to ensure that work pays, and that parents and carers can provide for their families with dignity. Teachers and school staff are also purchasing lunch for children whose parents cannot afford it, not because they want to but because the free school meals system put in place by this Government, including to all those on universal credit, still leaves some families behind. This Government’s fair repayment rate policy also supports households with debts, by reducing the maximum amount that can be deducted from universal credit from 25% to 15%. The previous Conservative Government were despicable in their actions and what they launched at children. The two-child limit cap and universal credit payment deductions at 25% were wrong. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that, as well removing the two-child limit cap, a protected minimum floor to universal credit is also needed. That will reverse declining living standards for families with children and get children out of poverty.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely correct; it is about supporting parents into better-paid work.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend—I call him that even though he sits on the other side of the House—for stating that so eloquently and accurately. This means that the previous Conservative Government got it wrong. I would also add that with rents rising and mortgages increasing, they got it wrong. Who suffers? It is babies, toddlers, primary and secondary school children, and that is wrong. Unlike the previous Government, this Government accept the overwhelming scale of this challenge. I am sure that Ministers will agree that more still needs to be done. To bring further reality to the situation, my own son has paid for a schoolfriend’s lunch on more than one occasion when they have not had enough money on their lanyard. I am sure that many other children also share food with their friends because they have compassion and do not want their friends to go hungry. I welcome the Government’s decision to lift the two-child benefit cap, which will provide crucial support to an estimated 3,530 children across my constituency. It is a significant step and I commend the Government for taking it. Breakfast clubs are absolutely fantastic, but they are limited to primary schools, meaning that secondary school children miss out. There could be three children from the same household where two children receive breakfast at primary school but the other goes hungry at secondary school. That is not right. Parents should not have to worry about their ability to feed their children and teachers should not have to subsidise parents or the state by feeding their pupils. As I come to an end, I must mention the remarkable football player Marcus Rashford, who knew what it was like to go hungry as a child and is now dedicated to ensuring that it does not happen to other children. I respect his efforts to reduce child poverty. I ask this Government to make the necessary effort to keep children out of poverty and to support them to ensure they have a full stomach and reach their full potential in life.

• 6 Jan 2026 · Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey) on securing this short but significant debate. I will not take up too much time. It is vital that healthcare is fully accessible for children. I do not think anyone would disagree that therapeutic play can be instrumental in putting children at ease, as far as that is possible, when they are experiencing medical treatment. The Government must do all they can to prevent and reduce child trauma. I know from my time as Minister for Children and Families that work has already begun to evaluate the benefit of our therapeutic approaches, such as dyadic developmental psychotherapy. I think all of us in attendance would appreciate an update on the Government’s progress in this area. However, while it is important for the Government to evaluate new approaches to providing medical care, it is also critical that medical staff have the skills and knowledge to support children with complex needs, with adequate pay and conditions to retain them long term. Before I conclude, I want to say how brave Hari sounds. I appreciate everything that the Minister has already shared in this Chamber, and I trust that the Government will keep all these things in mind as they develop their NHS workforce plan.

• 8 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  Official figures show that over 4,000 children in my constituency are living in poverty, and many of those families have one parent in work. I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s child poverty strategy and all the work that she and her colleagues have done, as well as the lifting of the two-child limit, but would she agree that what we now need to see is children and families not needing to use food banks?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes a strong campaign argument for ensuring that stations are accessible to all. Much of Grove Park is made of corrugated metal, which leaks and is cold. When it rains, the waiting room is often flooded because of the leaky roof; things are even more difficult for my constituents when the door is locked. As I have said, I know that change can happen. We have campaigned for years and years for improvements at Grove Park station, and I know that campaigning works, because earlier this year, work began on upgrading Hither Green station, which is also in my constituency. It is exciting to watch the upgrade, which includes a new footbridge connecting all six platforms, new lifts, new closed circuit television and public address systems and a host of other improvements. This is a great scheme that construction workers and railway station staff are rightly proud of. More importantly, my constituents—and me, as I use both Hither Green and Grove Park stations—will benefit from this work. I am looking forward to benefiting from the improvements that will hopefully come about at Grove Park.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for his support for the Chancellor’s Budget and the lifting of the two-child benefit limit. I agree with what he said. I remind Members what my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier) said: 70% of children in poverty have parents who are in work. Children are not in poverty because their parents are not working. This Government are doing everything they can to lift children out of poverty. I also remind Members about the Children Act 1989, which states that the welfare of the child is paramount. If memory serves me correctly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs refers to food. Getting children out of poverty means ensuring that no child goes hungry and that children have their basic needs met. This Government are very much committed to that, which is why I am delighted that the measure is in the Chancellor’s Budget.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor and her team for a very welcome Budget. This is our Government’s second successive Budget, and it is focused on addressing the cost of living. It will ensure that everyone pays their fair share towards public services, and it invests in communities up and down the country. I will focus mainly on the cost of living, defence and overseas development aid. As Members will be aware, many people across our country are facing great challenges to meet the cost of essentials. Food banks should be a thing of the past. Through this Budget, the Government are working towards making them a thing of the past by focusing on getting children out of poverty and getting young people into work through apprenticeships, and by bringing down energy costs. I strongly believe that prevention is far better than cure. The Government know that that is so, which is why they are investing in and focusing on early family help and early intervention, and lifting the two-child benefit cap, which is a significant measure. I would hope the whole House would agree that no child should go hungry or without basic necessities, but from what I have heard from Conservative Members, I am not so sure that is the case. To those Members I say: child poverty damages the UK economy in the long term and makes those children less likely to perform as well as their peers in education and employment. Lifting the two-child benefit cap is, therefore, better for the economy. It will break the cycle of disadvantage and deprivation, and improve the life chances of children nationwide, wherever they are experiencing child poverty.